Marine Rescue’s New Flagship Crosses the Ballina Bar to a Big Welcome Home
After 13 years of service, a new chapter in Ballina’s maritime story begins
Ballina’s maritime history turned an important page today as Marine Rescue’s new flagship, BA 30, crossed the notorious bar and received a rousing welcome home.
A small but enthusiastic crowd lined the North Wall breakwall, cheering as Captain Geoff Hutchinson demonstrated the vessel’s tight turning circle and impressive manoeuvrability.
Volunteers and supporters also watched from the Marine Rescue Tower, marking the moment many said felt “a long time coming.”
Marine Rescue Commander Peter Hill said the excitement was unmistakable.
“There’s a sense of excitement here today. We’ve waited 13 years for this time, so we’re pretty excited about that,” he said.
Commander Hill said the new vessel is built for speed, performance and, crucially, safety.
“It’s a high-performance vessel, with particular emphasis on reducing crew fatigue. That improves crew performance,” he said.
“It will handle the bar better. It’s got a different shape bow, so it should go through the waves nice and cleanly and it’s easier to drive.”
Better Equipped for Emergencies
The 10-metre Naiad rescue vessel was built in Newcastle by specialist marine manufacturer Yamba Welding & Engineering, the same firm responsible for other frontline rescue craft operating along the NSW coast.
The total project cost is understood to be in the vicinity of $1.4 million, funded through a combination of NSW Government support, Marine Rescue NSW contributions, community fundraising, and major local benefactors including Ballina RSL.
Powered by twin 300-horsepower Suzuki Duo-Prop outboards, BA 30 delivers rapid acceleration and improved handling, particularly in bar and offshore conditions. It features an axe-bow design — a sharper forward profile that cuts more cleanly through steep and broken waves on the Ballina bar.
Inside the cabin, the vessel includes shock-mitigating seating and a redesigned crew layout prioritising reduced fatigue on long-duration rescues. Upgraded navigation, radar and thermal imaging systems allow night operations and better search accuracy during emergency callouts.
With 900 litres of fuel capacity (around 100 litres more than the previous BA 30), the vessel can travel further offshore and make multiple rescue runs without returning to port.
While regulations limit the unit to 30 nautical miles offshore, crew say the range gives them the operational confidence needed for prolonged or complex incidents.
With the ‘new’ BA 30 now officially home, Ballina’s previous offshore vessel has already been relocated.
“The old BA 30 has gone down to Yamba where it’s going to be sold. It’s still a very, very good boat,” Hill said.
Some of the Ballina Marine Rescue crew watching from the tower: Ian Grimwood, Sharon Clark, Tony Hensley, Unit Commander Peter Hill, Deputy Commander Rick Weber and Trish Begley
Captain Geoff Hutchinson looking justifiably pleased, after safely docking at the RSL Wharf to allow the community onboard to check out the new BA 30
Community fundraising effort gets its moment
Marine Rescue Ballina said the project would never have been completed without exceptional community fundraising support, including one major mystery benefactor and contributions from well-known local organisations.
Among the guests was Ballina RSL CEO, Guy McDiven, whose club was one of the largest contributors.
“We’re really grateful to be involved with Marine Rescue,” Mr McDiven said.
“In the last grants round, we provided an additional $40,000 for the purchase of this vessel.
“Marine Rescue fills a huge government hole here. Government should be funding this, and they’re not.
“As we do with many projects, we’re here to help fill holes that government simply can’t fund.”
Commander Hill said supporters were invited today because they were part of making the vessel a reality.
“We’re very grateful to them and all the other supporters, RSL and other organisations,” he said.
A smooth trip up from Yamba
Captain Geoff Hutchinson, who piloted the vessel home from Yamba, said BA 30 was a pleasure to command.
“It’s very, very nice because it’s electric steering. It’s very soft—like going to power steering,” he said.
“The wheel is small, so it’s very quick from lock to lock. It’ll take a little while to get used to that.”
Conditions offshore were mild, with barely a metre of swell.
“We went out quite a way just to test the conditions. It was from behind, so it was okay coming in,” Hutchinson said.
Beyond the helm, Hutchinson also played a pivotal role in raising funds through his book Shipwrecked, which helped generate a significant contribution to the community tally.
Looking ahead
Local crews say the new BA 30 provides greater comfort, improved safety and expanded capability for longer rescues offshore.
“Comfort inside, more distance — we’ve got 900 litres, which is 100 litres more. You could do a couple of runs easily,” Hutchinson said.
As BA 30 settled into its new home berth, long-time volunteers spoke of pride in seeing a vessel purpose-built for local conditions.
Today’s arrival can be counted as one of those moments Ballina will look back on — a day when community, history and the sea came together at the mouth of the river, marking a new era in saving lives.
